World War I was an unprecedented conflict in many ways. It involved much of the globe, though the centers of major fighting were in Europe and the Middle East. It showed the power of industrial society and organization to deepen conflict, causing immense causalities and also extensive economic and political disruption. And it was an agonizing human experience.The two documents I would like you to read deal with the military experience in the trenches shared by all the combatants (you can read both by clicking here). The first document, from a memoir by the Austrian musician Fritz Kreisler, offers an overview of the early stages, suggesting initial excitement, followed by deadening conflict. Kreisler also notes the confusing impact on memory itself.
The second document is from the war’s most famous novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque. Remarque had served in the German army. He wrote vividly about the nature of trench warfare and the physical and mental burdens it imposed.
The war permanently changed Europe’s position in the world and greatly affected European politics—leading, for example, to the rise of fascism and Nazism. It also colored the life of a whole generation that found their expectations and rhythms totally shattered. The analytical challenge is to recapture this experience, at least in part, and discuss how it related to the larger changes the war produced.
After you have finished reading both documents, I would like you to reflect on and discuss the following: What was the mood at the outset of the war, and what caused it? What were the main features of trench warfare for the troops involved? What would happen to people who managed to live through this experience? What makes Remarque’s writing so powerful? Why would people want to read a war novel of this sort? What was new about warfare as Remarque and Kreisler describe it? What were the wider implications of the fighting, for example for the political values of veterans after the war had ended? Can you see connections with some of the new political and cultural movements of the 1920s? Your thoughts…
21 comments:
I was amazed at how this Austrian officer who said he was only in the trenches for four weeks was greatly affected by his short tenure. He spoke of the terrible things he saw. This was an officer and he was only there for four weeks so obviously he had one of the better experiences in the trenches but he was still greatly disturbed by what he saw. This makes you wonder what it would have been like for a 18 year old kid who had been given a gun and was forced to live in the trenches for years. Going out into no man's land and getting shot doesn't really seem like the worst option...
The guy had no feeling, no remorse at all to the war. The reason for that being was that people were dying left and right, and his job was to shoot the other team. It put all the soldiers in a hypnotized state and their job was just shoot. These soldiers were nothing but zombies and they were mere pawns to the government.
The soldiers were the people suffering, and the people who survived the battle, the so called "lucky ones" or "heroes". They all were messed up in the head because of the war. The things they saw scarred their life forever, and when they came back. I bet they didn't even want to face their families in the state they were, if they were sane enough to even be able to think that up.
Even though this guy was an officer and he wasnt treated as badly as the others, he was still disgusted and effected by what he had experienced. The other document written by Erich Maria Remarque was actually a German soldier. He describes how the rats would eat their bread and also how they were to put thier gasmasks and wait day and night for an attack that could be extremely deadly.
This doesn't have anything to do with the post. Mr. Prill, where did you find Joyeux Noel online? I'm a horrible internet searcher.
Mr. Prill i was wondering how many reading quizzes we are gunna have next week and if it will be the same way for all the weeks to come? i mean i know we are having the same format but will they only be once or twice a week instead of everyday?
yeah, i'd expect quizzes over the course of next week
From the first document it seemed like everyone thought highly of the soldiers except the soldiers themselves. They didn't see at all how what they were doing was noble and courageous. It just seemed wrong. Erich mostly describes the rats in the trench, and the awful foreboding sense that you have no idea when you are going to be attacked. Remarque's writing is so powerful because he puts so much emotion into it. People reading this at the time would expect different responses from a returning soldier. Personally I have no idea why anyone would want to read a war novel based on a soldier's point of view.
P.S. Where can I find Joyeux Noel online?
imdb.com
In the account by the Austrian Kreisler, soldiers were praised and cheered. There was a strong sense of bravery and nationalism in the new soldiers. When the two brothers goto fight, the crowd erupts in shouting. When a crowd surrounds a soldier and his lover, they all break out into an Austrian national song. The reality was much different. Kreisler notes that he is not able to remember everything because of the stressed state of mind he was in. There was little food in the trenches, and nothing mattered but surviving and fighting.
Remarque wrote the lack of food and rat infestation in the trenches. He wrote about the young untrained recruits being destroyed and slaughtered. The man who called out, whom the soldiers could not find, was especially chilling. Surely those who survived would have psychological issues. In the movie the main character goes home, and he is completely alienated because none of the people at home understand that war is hell. His father argues about what strategy should be taken, and this greatly upsets the son. The meaning of the title: All Quiet On The Western Front, is incredibly sad and moving. Remarque's writing is powerful because it is easy to understand, and does not apologize for revealing the true nature of trench warfare. People would want to read ths novel to abolish the lies of the nationalists that said war was brave and glorious. "I'll fight" "I'll go!" "It'll be an adventure!" The warfare was incredibly violent, technology was equal, hence the stalemate, and the soldiers realized they did not truly hate their opponents. The latter idea was communicated very powerfully in the movie in the scene where the main character stays in the hole with a dying opponent. It is seen in Kreisler's account: "One fights fiercely and passionately, mass
against mass, but as soon as the mass crystallizes itself into human individuals
whose features one actually can recognize, hatred almost ceases." WWI was an example of what we have been talking about from the beginning of the year: giving up rights for security. It is easy to see how, after the control the state gained during WWI, and because of the destruction and weakening economies, citizens would be willing to give up more rights for stability. It is easy to see how fascism, which consisted of autocratic power and the idea that the state and common welfare was more important than individuals, became prominent in Italy.
Mr. Prill, I am flummoxed (yes, big word) at what we were taught on Friday. I pushed it on my family to watch Joyeux Noel, which we finished just a few minutes ago, and WOW...! They were impressed, as well as I, and shocked(hence the "flummoxed") at what we saw. That is an increadible movie. I loved it. (You know what will have my Wappy vote.) I kept adding in random comments of what you told us in class. My sister(who was a cp world hist. student in high school, btw) was very suprised and did not seem to have a very good idea of what was going on at all. It was very much a learning experience for all. I especially loved the cat. I had no idea there was a cat between opposing trenches!(a bit of comedic relief, as well as lingering anger because of that concept, though.)
Thanks for sharing, Mr. P.
i'm glad you guys have opened your eyes and hearts to the humanity behind major world events... all too often we focus on governments and economies, but forget the majority of humanity involved
When i first started reading the document from the Austrian officer there was a feeling of hope or excitement in his writing, but then at the starting of a new paragraph it seemed all the feeling left him and he wrote in a monotonous manner.
It seemed that not even two days after being in the trenches, people falling over dead right next to him was something sad, but of no concern to him anymore.He also said about how sometimes you would see the other sides faces and smile because there was really no hatred between the soldiers themselves.But at the command of an officer they would shoot them dead in the blink of an eye.
That made me think of how messed up the survivors would be when they got home, i mean they would have so many trust and loyalty issues.
Erich's account was much more vivid and horrifing , one quote that really got me was this one; "There is a rumour that the
enemy are going to put tanks over and use low-flying planes for the attack. But that
interests us less than what we hear of the new flame-throwers."
This shows how rapidly new technology is coming out that things such a tanks are not so much as even a second look when it comes to flame throwers...this is not normal, even for war.
It's a little strange how the events were described so differently by 2 different people. The Austrian officer obviously didn't have the same amount of bad treatment as the others, however, he says how horrible things were and how discusted he was by them. The German soldier however, was treated badly from the get-go. He says things about how rats would eat their food in the trenches. It's so terrible to read things about this and know this was the typical lifestlye of the everyday WW1 soldier (of the trenches).
The public people patronized the soldiers in the streets and everywhere they were seen, even though they don't realize the actual aspects of the fighting. The new war fare was very intense and put a lot of strain on the soldiers, in the second document it was really sad when they were describing the new young men that were recruited as detrimental rather than helpful due to their lack of training but they were still being sent because there was a need for new soldiers.
Kreisler says that the civilians really support the soldiers in public and clap and saulte them when they see them. He also says that when fighting the soldiers get into a trance type thing where they just shoot at the other side and really dont remember what happens. They lose that part of there memory because they no they have to do it even though they dont want to. its almost as if it is routine and they dont have to think anymore in order to do it. He says that when they first start fighting, everyone has fierceness against the other side. everyone is fired up since they really dont know what they are getting into. He says that as time goes by they start losing hatred against the opposing side and they feel bad after every shot that the kill someone.
Remarque talks about the fat rat infestation and how they would eat the soldiers bread no matter where it was like behind that one guys head. The rat found its way to it while the guy was sleeping. It is sooo unsanitary. He also talks about the constant firing of bullets and the gas. Soldiers often took off there masks after seeing other's off and they end up dying because the gas isnt completely diffused. they normally die of suffocation. All the information that he has in this novel are extremely true. It is from someones actual experiences making it seem more real and accurate. people might want to read it because of its unbiased thoughts. The novel gives an insight into the war that most people didnt know about.
I can only imagine the impacts on those soldiers. How they must've felt seeing all those new soldiers die because a lack of expirience. I really appreaciate the respect for the soldiers back then. Now its the exact opposite. People are hating on our soldiers, and calling them all kinds of names like baby killers. They should act like those from WW1, and have a profound respect for our men and women in combat. Also the profound patriotism, not overboard as to destroy another nation, but stop hating America!!! This really is the best nation in the world. So yeah i really liked that document.
The army was idolized and loved at the beginning of the war. The soldiers know they are just one in a mass, any of whom could die, and he accepts his fate, because there is nothing he can do. He hates to kill another he knows really is just like him.
Remarque tells truth of trenches, which is probably why it is so popular. He speaks of the truthful horrors and grotesque pains the soldiers went through, which all the others have not faced. Gas and grenades are new and kill many new soldiers because they have not learned the signs or sounds yet. I would think no one who has faced all this would ever want to fight again, nor have others do it, and would therefore be against war in politics later on.
Remarque's writing is so powerful because he tells everything that is happening and doesn't leave anything out. Remarque doesn't just talk about the "glories" of war; it is in fact quite the opposite. For example, he relates the new recruits that are sent in to children, and goes in great detail about how they die.
Trench warfare was probably a worse place to be than in open battle. In a large fight, you have adrenaline working for you. In the trenches, it's long and drawn-out, sometimes for months, and you can't have adrenaline that whole time. It's much more suffering and more mental torture.
I knew that the trenches were bad especially after coming out of class with the trench foot photo stuck in my head but coming from people that were actually there it makes it so much worse. It was crazy how armies had to put inexperienced soldiers in these conditions only to be killed in mass. One thing that sort of made me worry about the sanity of these people is when Kreisler says that at one point the war seemed like sport.
its just so crazy what war does to u.. i mean this man had no0 feelings what so ever about these soldiers dieing everywhere, he main job is just to kill people on the other side and protect ur nation. and tto me it seems like the soldiers didnt get that much respect from the government or the civilians.. to the government they were just like little dummies to them that they could control. talk about messed up that these men are going and diein for there contry and even if they do survive they are messed up forever
wow this is truely gross. They way they described the living conditionds was crazy. And the whole fat bald rats was disturbing as well. But Im still schocked that the soldiers were friends and didnt have hatred for one another it was just their governments.
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